Thousands of youngsters will be offered the thrill of a lifetime at the £30 million ($48 million) Lee Valley White Water Centre, which is the only brand new venue to be open to the public before the Games.

It is currently being constructed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and will be completed by spring next year.

The free rafting marks the launch of the Education Pledge - Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s offer to education authorities in London, Essex and Hertfordshire to select a class of secondary school students, aged 14-plus, to take part.

Launching the scheme, World Championship medallist and member of Britain's canoe slalom team, Lizzie Neave, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the nation’s children to be involved in the build-up to the Games and to inspire the next generation of Olympic hopefuls.

"Team GB is looking forward to training at this unique centre and we are all very excited about what we can achieve here on home soil during the Games."

Captain of the men’s senior Britain raft team Paskell Blackwell said: "I’m delighted to be supporting the Education Pledge.

"Not only will it let schoolchildren experience a completely new and exciting sport, they’ll be trying out a brand new, state-of-the-art, custom-built facility that cannot be matched anywhere in the world.

"To be able to watch the Olympians on the TV having tried the course out first is quite something."

Michael Rye, vice-chairman of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, said: "We are thrilled to be able to offer so many schoolchildren the opportunity to experience a free white water rafting session at Lee Valley White Water Centre.

"The Education Pledge is a great example of the way in which children and local communities from across London and the regions will directly benefit from this leading venue."

Lee Valley White Water Centre has two separate facilities - a 300 metre Olympic Games competition course and a 160m training course, perfect for sports development.

The centre is one of four London 2012 venues Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will run after the Games, including the Lee Valley VeloPark and Lee Valley hockey and tennis centres.

The Lee Valley White Water Centre will join the other regional sports venues the authority owns to create a chain of sporting excellence along the 26-mile long, 10,000-acre Lee Valley Regional Park.


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